I am a PTA fanatic. I love his films, particularly his early work set in the San Fernando Valley. There are a lot of films about LA, but most people who make films in LA didn’t grow up here.  BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA are canon for me.  They are must-views. Top Ten Material, okay?  So…. I was excited but also nervous to check out LICORICE PIZZA.   I watched the film with my mom and we both walked out of that theater completely blissed out on the charm of this nostalgic rom-com. PS… Is it a rom-com?… I mean technically it is. But this movie is also it’s own thing entirely and that’s why it rocks.

First off, I absolutely must praise the work of newcomers Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman.  Yeah, I know they technically had both been brushed by fame before the film, but this movie truly will be a pivotal break out moment for both of them.   And to anyone who might pick apart their performances or some of the more far-fetched moments of the script, I’d like to comment by saying — I just don’t care.  This movie is bursting with so much charisma. It takes me on a ride that is a little magical and a lot naive and I couldn’t be more happy to go there with it. 

One of my biggest pet peeves with about 90% of the movies I see these days is a predictable script. I like my script to have some structure, but I don’t want to get ahead of the story.   LICORICE PIZZA meanders along from scene to scene — celebrity cameo to celebrity cameo — and it doesn’t bother doubling back on itself, trying to “pay off” everything it sets up.  That might bother some viewers, but for me, it made the viewing experience all the more delightful.  I truly never knew where it was going, but every moment felt earned.  

Circling back to the celebrity cameos…. did I mention there were a bunch of celebrity cameos. Cus there are. Benny Sadie, John C Reilly, Sean Penn, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Maya Rudolph (duh), and Tom Waits.  It’s just plain fun watching Bradley Cooper meltdown and Ryan Heffington’s cameo performance as Steve was a delightful Easter egg — any other Silverlake Sweat Spot dancers in the house?

LICORICE PIZZA is by no means a perfect movie but I didn’t need it to be. It’s my favorite movie of the year and I’d welcome any haters to come at me.  I’ll meet you in the parking lot of Reseda High School and we’ll throw down. 

Click To Watch LICORICE PIZZA HERE